By and large, a feng shui expert has predicted that the Philippine economy will continue its strong run when The Year of the Water Snake begins on February 10. Joseph Chau, a noted feng shui expert in the Philippines, said as much in a recent press briefing. According to the famous geomancer, the country is in the precipice of experiencing further economic growth that will come from an increasing number of foreign investments and aided by a boost in tourism.
2013 “will be a good year for the country because there is more money”, Chau said, as quoted by the Business Mirror. “It is different from 2012, especially since the feng shui of Malacañang (the presidential palace of the country) is lucky because it faces southeast,” an apparently lucky direction for both money and success.
That part about increased tourism in the Philippines should ring music to the ears of Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., who has set a benchmark for the agency to bring in 5.3 million tourist arrivals in the country in 2013. That number is 1 million tourists more than the 4.3 million tourist arrivals in the Philippines in the past year. The continuous growth of tourism in the Philippines will also play into the hands of the burgeoning casino industry in the country, something Chau also noted as a business that will have fruitful results for the year.
Much is expected from the opening of the Enrique Razon Jr-owned Solaire Manila, the first resort casino to open at Pagcor’s Entertainment City. With Chau noting the bountiful prospects of the country’s tourism sector and the casino business in the Philippines during the Year of the Water Snake, that should quell any cause for concern from the Bloomberry Resorts chief, who as someone that was born under the Year of the Rat will experience, according to Chau, a “flat year”. The geomancer did throw a silver lining in there by adding that “they can survive in the worst situations and they are flexible to cope with sudden changes in any circumstance.” And since Razon Jr. is involved in businesses that are considered prosperous this year – hotels, casinos, and logistics – the man shouldn’t be too worried about seeing his fortunes take a turn for the worse in 2013.
Unfortunately, not everyone who is somehow involved in a project in Entertainment City will experience a prosperous year. In talking about those who carry the Horse zodiac of which JG Summit Holdings president and COO Lance Gokongwei is one, Chau warned them to be extremely careful in handling their business expenses, noting that they could potentially face a multitude of problems within the year. That’s probably not the kind of endorsement Gokongwei, who’s JG Summit Holdings company has inked a deal with Universal Entertainment’s Kazuo Okada to partner on the latter’s $2 billion casino project in Entertainment City. Could this be a sign of things to come?
